(a) Field of the invention
This invention relates to a cleaning tool for the removal of debris from surfaces, particularly snow and ice from vehicles such as cars in the winter. The tool according to the invention has a brush which may be conformed in a T-shaped mode or in longitudinal mode.
(b) Description of the prior art
Hiterto, it has been common to mount a scraper on the end of a handle carrying a brush on the other end to form a tool which may be used for removing snow either by brushing or scraping from snow covered surfaces.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,036,322, 3,017,649, 2,896,241, 3,051,975 relate to snow and ice removal equipment combining brushes with scrapers in various configurations including extensible handle portions and collapsible designs for easy storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,832,980 relates to a bladed instrument where the single blade is foldable from a parallel to a perpendicular position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,654 relates to an extensible brush tool where the brush remains parallel to the handle.
In the brush art, U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,281 shows a two-bladed V-shaped brush whose angle of operation is controllable by dual handles connected to the brushes by a complex hinge mechanism.
In the mop art, U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,790 shows a collapsible mop which allows a mop cloth to be easily placed in a conventional wringer, and then be expanded to a maximum position. A handle mounted actuator causes a mop to move from a position of minimum stretching of the cloth to a maximum position.
Canadian Patent No. 614,118 shows a mop head comprising a universal connection between a head and handle but restricting pivotal movement to one axis. The two blades of the mop are collapsible from a T-shape to a longitudinal shape and are locked in the T-shape by locking means on the blade. When the mop is removed, the blades fold under their own weight.
Canadian Patent No. 273,769 describes a brush of variable width using hinged elements to reduce the width where necessary.
Canadian Patent No. 1,158,007 describes a snow removal tool having a brush which may be assembled either in a T-shaped mode or in one of two longitudinal modes. Intermodal change requires disassembly.